Payne, Pain, and Pain-In-The-Ass

Yay! I'm done Max Payne 3. I won't ever play that again. It is very nice looking and I enjoyed the story, but the rest was a real stinker for me. It would definitely be nice to have that type of combat in a GTA game, but it really feels like Rockstar dropped the ball on this one. I know that others seem to have enjoyed it more than I did, but I really can't recommend this one even for the $10 I paid for it. I suppose I'd put it in the "if you've played everything else" category. From the lack of Max Payne 3 in Poco's Gamer Mosaic, I think you can just let this one pass you by if you haven't played it already.

I was looking forward to moving on to Grand Theft Auto IV after Max Payne 3 with all the fancy looking visuals supplied by the ICE 3.0 mod (http://www.icelaglace.com/) but I can't get the mod to work and there is little in the way of documentation or forum support. It is very disappointing since I've been waiting forever for this version of ICE to be available before trying GTA IV. I forgot to backup my Steam version of GTA IV before modding it, so I'll have to download the whole thing again before my second attempt at the mod. It is really more of a pain in the ass than a problem because I have a feeling I'll get the same result modding it again since I didn't have to do anything too drastic for the mod. Oh well, the mod author does say to contact him if you have issues, maybe I'll resort to that. I feel bad doing that since the guy didn't make a cent off the mod and shouldn't have to support the users.

Other than my regular weekly session with The Elder Scrolls Online (so close to the end of the story I can taste it), I didn't have an opportunity to play much last week. I've been trying to get in the last of the outdoor maintenance (in real life) since the rain has stopped and it is dry enough to paint. Also, we've been in a mad scramble to get Xander new clothes and supplies for back-to-school. I guess that's what we get for procrastinating. At least he has his new Zelda backpack for this year.

Somewhere along the way with the chores, I've badly messed up my knee. It is excruciating to kneel on but isn't too painful otherwise, unless I am trying to sleep. This is part of the reason I didn't play much last week since I've been in a sleep deprived fog all week. I was even nodding off during my ESO session with my buddy which never happens to me.

We have a wedding to go to this Sunday and another wedding the next weekend that involves a lot of travel. With school starting next week for Xander and more outdoor projects to squeeze in, my gaming schedule isn't looking too good. All I really care about is that my knee is better in a couple days for the Dance Central Spotlight release. Of all the times to mess up my knee it has to be when the most important release of the year is coming out.

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Hopefully this weekend's attempt at the GTA IV modding will result in a different outcome for the same process and I'll be able to start with that game. I should really try to get some Dante's Inferno in as well and some good ol' Rock Band.